AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes launches his memoir, 'Flying High,' in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 29, 2017. Arianne Merez, ABS-CBN News
KUALA LUMPUR- Self-made tycoon Tony Fernandes on Sunday launched his memoir, looking back at the lessons he learned as he steered AirAsia to become the continent's largest low-cost airline.
In "Flying High," Fernandes, 53, said Asian big dreamers like himself should persevere without fear of failure.
“I want people to believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, that dreams are possible. I mean AirAsia is a fairy tale and my life is a fairy tale. There was no mystery or magic, just a simple guy who had dreams. There is no shortcut,” he told reporters here.
The former music executive who favors jeans over suits has helped build AirAsia into one of the world's largest carriers.
In 2016, the airline flew 56.6 million people, operating a fleet of 174 Airbus A320 jets to be 109 destinations. It connects all 10 countries in ASEAN.
“It’s hard work. I’ve had many failures...but I don’t regret any of those failures. I think we Asians, we worry too much about failures and so we don’t do things,” he said.
“But I did it and I failed pretty spectacularly in some things but I did it. I hope people live their life to the most and hopefully believe they can do anything,” he added.